Agreement neglects the refugees

In 1883, American poet Emma Lazarus penned a poem that would eventually find itself as synonymous with open arms as the statue at whose base it stands. “The New Colossus” used words to define the United States as a nation open to new people in the same way that the Statue of Liberty visually defined that welcoming spirit.

Now the same continent that honored this country with that towering symbol is turning its back on a new generation of migrants seeking solace on foreign shores. The European Union, apparently unable or unwilling to make the morally correct choice, has decided it is better to pay off a neighbor with a questionable human rights track record to take in the tired, poor huddled masses yearning to breathe free, rather than embrace the need itself.

The Syrian refugee exodus, a humanitarian crisis on a scale unseen since the post-World War II era, has been unfolding for years, but has accelerated during the past 12 months as millions of citizens, fleeing five years of civil war and indiscriminate bombings, have sought sanctuary outside the country of their birth. Although Turkey and Greece have shouldered a significant portion of the burden of this migration, they have by and large served as a stopgap measure, as many of the Syrian expatriates have had their hopes set on the promised land of Europe.

Europe, however, has been reluctant to accept its role as would-be savior. Although the collective nations of the European Union have seen vast swaths of their populations open their hearts and homes to the latest wave of immigrants, other, less open-minded elements have rallied around the same anti-foreigner rhetoric that characterized some of the darker moments of Europe during the 20th century.

Now the leaders of these countries have penned a deal with Turkey that may exonerate them from financial culpability, but the morality and legality of their move is less certain. The agreement, which has been pilloried by both Amnesty International and other human rights organizations, allows Greece to deport refugees back to Turkey and, in exchange, Turkey will send a corresponding number of refugees who have been processed to Europe. The hope is that this will encourage would-be asylum seekers to follow official entry protocols rather than continue to stream unabated into Europe via illegal human traffickers.

Others have pointed out that although far from perfect, the deal offers something better than the status quo. These agreement apologists note that Europe could not indefinitely absorb wave after wave of immigrants, and that this unsustainable approach had already given rise to right-wing ideologies, which have been growing both in strength and popularity as the immigrant influx continued.

Rather than improving the situation, however, the EU-Turkey compact stands to further destabilize the region. Greece, which already had a tenuous grasp on the migrant situation, will now find itself inundated with EU advisers, who ostensibly will take over the deportation process. Turkey, with its questionable human rights record, now moves from borderline political pariah to the lynchpin in the European solution, likely stifling any ability to pressure Turkey into remaining a more open society. Caught in the crossfire, as always, are the most vulnerable: the men, women and children who have fled their countries with little more than the hope of a brighter future.

Obviously, the decision to repatriate thousands of migrants back to Turkey is an effort to send an unmistakable message to those considering the dangerous and often deadly trek: Stay home, because you are not wanted here.

Perhaps it is time for the United States to send our colossus back, with Lazarus’ words highlighted as a reminder of what a brighter future looks like:

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

“Rather than improving the situation, however, the compact stands to further destabilize the region.”